Wireless networks have a growing role in today's world. As used herein, a “network” is a defined group of two or more network elements interconnected by one or more segments of transmission media. One or more of the network elements, which may include network devices, may be configured to transmit and/or receive communications to one or more other network elements over one or more of the segments of transmission media. The network elements that are members of the defined group of the network may change over time, for example, when network elements are added to the network and/or users log on to the network, and when network elements are removed and/or users log off. Each segment may be any of a plurality of types of transmission media, including one or more electrical or optical wires or cables made of metal and/or optical fiber, air (e.g., using wireless transmission over carrier waves) or any combination of these transmission media. As used herein, “plurality” means two or more. It should be appreciated that a network may be as simple as two elements connected by a single wire, bus, wireless connection, or other type of segment(s). Further, it should be appreciated that when a network is illustrated in a drawing of this application as being connected to an element in the drawing, the connected element itself is considered part of the network.
As used herein, a “wireless network” is a communications network including one or more network elements that enable wireless communications between two or more network elements of a communications network. Wireless networks often include what are called Public Land Mobile Networks (PLMNs), several types of which are known, including Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), a plurality of types of Code-Division Multiple Access-based communications networks (e.g., cdmaOne, cdma2000, etc.), Wireless Personal Area Networks (PANs), for example, Bluetooth or a wireless PAN in accordance with IEEE 802.15, and Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), for example, HiperLan 2 or a WLAN in accordance with IEEE 802.11 (e.g., 802.11b (Wi-Fi), 802.11a and 802.11g).
As used herein, a “network device” is a device operative to communicate on a network, including, but not limited to: workstations, personal computers, terminals, laptop computers, end stations, user devices, servers, gateways, registers, switches, routers, hubs, bridges, directories, transmitters, receivers, repeaters, and any combinations thereof. As used herein, a “user device” is a network device from/to which a user may send/receive communications, and which may serve as an endpoint to communications on a communications network. It should be appreciated that a user device may not actually be part of a network at all times. User devices include, but are not limited to: workstations; personal computers (e.g., PCs); laptop computers, notebook computers; telephones (e.g., landline or mobile); pagers; Blackberry™ brand devices, PCS devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), two-way radios (e.g., “walkie-talkies”), other types of user devices, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. As used herein, a “mobile user device” is a user device operative to send and/or receive wireless communications to/from one or more other network elements. For example, a mobile user device may include a transceiver to receive and transmit wireless communications.
A wireless network typically includes one or more wireless access points. As used herein, a “wireless access point” or “AP” is a network device that controls wireless access to a wireless network by one or more mobile user devices. Examples of wireless access points include: the Cisco Aironet 350 Series, 1000 Series, 1100 Series and 1200 Series; SerCom AP51bT; NetGear ProSafe 802.11b AP; Colubris InReach MultiService Access Points (MAP); and APs available on Broadcom chipsets, such as BCM4712 802.11b/54g™ Integrated Wireless AP/Router, whose OEMs include Apple, Belkin, Buffalo, Dell, eMachines, Gateway, HP, Linksys/Cisco, and Motorola.
Wireless communications between mobile user devices and wireless access points have inherent security risks not found in wire-line communications (e.g., on a network segment comprised solely of one or more electrical or optical wires or cables made of metal and/or optical fiber). That is, it is generally easier to control and limit access to communications transmitted on wire-line segments of a network than communications transmitted over wireless segments. For this reason, security technologies and standards such as, for example, Wire Equivalent Protection (WEP), Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP), Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA), IEEE 802.1X (802.1X), and others have been developed specifically to improve security for wireless communications between mobile user devices and wireless access points.
Wireless Provisioning Services (WPS) is a technology that allows wireless network providers (e.g., Wi-Fi network providers) and others to send provisioning and configuration information to a mobile user device as it connects to the wireless network. WPS provides seamless and automatic provisioning and configuration of mobile user devices. As a user logs onto a wireless network, the network recognizes the user, automatically sets up the session, and bills the user's account. WPS provides automatic authentication and encryption in accordance with 802.1X.
For wireless networks that are not known to a mobile user device (i.e., wireless networks not previously discovered and recorded by the mobile user device), the user device often must exchange several communications with a wireless access point, in a sort of trial-and-error fashion, to determine whether the wireless network supports WPS and/or 802.1X. This trial-and-error technique is not an efficient use of wireless access point and wireless network resources.
Another limitation of most of today's wireless access points is that they allow only one service set identifier (SSID) to be broadcasted (e.g., advertised as part of a periodic 802.11 beacon) to mobile user devices. An SSID essentially serves as an identifier (e.g., a name) of a wireless network (e.g., WLAN). Such wireless access points often are capable of being configured with the definitions of multiple SSIDs, and to support the wireless networks identified by the SSIDs. However, because of physical limitations, such wireless access points are only capable of advertising one SSID, for example, within an 802.11 beacon. Thus, the other wireless networks, whose SSIDs are not advertised, remain hidden to mobile user devices. This inability to advertise multiple SSIDs is a problem for public Wi-Fi hotspot deployments, as hidden wireless networks cannot be discovered by mobile user devices.
One solution to this problem is adding additional wireless access points for each additional network. However, this solution becomes costly (from both an equipment acquisition and network management point of view), and is thus not a feasible option, for example, for wireless Internet service providers (WISPs).
Another solution, which is more of a long-term solution than the previously described solution, is configuring wireless access points with virtual wireless access point support; i.e., the ability to logically represent multiple wireless access points on a single network device. In fact, many independent hardware vendors (IHVs) that manufacture wireless access points (e.g., any of those listed above) plan to implement virtual wireless access points. However, deployment of these virtual wireless access points will require, in many cases, replacement of already-deployed infrastructures, which can be very costly, particularly for large hotspot deployments.